The present invention relates to a servo-assisted device for operating a vehicle parking brake, adapted to permit the engagement/disengagement of the parking brake without requiring any physical force on the part of the user.
It is known that the device for operating the parking brake of a vehicle currently consists of a lever pivoted to a bracket fixed to the floor of the vehicle and connected to a brake cable the tensioning of which controls the clamping of the rear brake shoes; in order to maintain the operating lever in the desired position it is connected to a ratchet mechanism which can be disengaged by means of a push button carried by the hand brake lever itself; to engage the parking brake the user must grip and pull the control lever upwardly by hand in such a way as to put the brake cable under tension and, overcoming the resistance offered by the brake shoes, consequently clamp these latter against the brake drum; once positioned the brake lever holds the brake cable under tension (and therefore maintains the parking brake engaged) in that the ratchet mechanism stops it from returning to the rest position flush with the vehicle floor; by disengaging the ratchet mechanism the lever is released and can be returned to the rest position releasing the parking brake. The described operations require that the user exert on the lever a distinct physical force, in particular upon disengaging the ratchet mechanism in that, in order to be able to actuate the release push button it is necessary to pull the lever further.